Immediate
Action Needed to Secure Final Passage of the 2002 Farm Bill! Please
Contact Your US Senators and US Representatives and Ask Them to Vote in Favor
of the Conference Committee Report on H.R. 2646, the Farm Security and Rural Investment
Act of 2002. Last
week, and none too soon for many farmers waiting to make planting, production
and marketing decisions, the US House of Representatives and US Senate, with input
from the Bush Administration, forged the final 2002 Farm Bill, a compromise piece
of legislation that will direct federal farm program for at least the next six
years. The 2002 Farm Bill is currently budgeted to spend more than $173 billion
on farm programs, conservation, rural development, and energy security programs
that are vital for farmers, ranchers and rural Americans. Before
the 2002 Farm Bill can be signed into law by President Bush, the House/Senate
Farm Bill Conference Committee Report must be approved by a majority in both Houses
of Congress. However, a diverse coalition of powerful special interest groups,
such as the Sierra Club, an environmental organization, and the taxpayer watchdog
group Citizens Against Government Waste have just announced their opposition to
passage of the 2002 Farm Bill. These groups are strongly urging all US Senators
and US Representatives to vote against final passage of the 2002 Farm Bill. For
example, according to an article in the Washington Post, the Sierra Club is opposed
to new conservation programs that will provide direct financial assistance to
farmers and ranchers to help them comply with new environmental requirements under
the Clean Water Act. In a letter to every US Representative, Citizens Against
Government Waste President Thomas Schatz claims: "It is particularly irresponsible
to increase agriculture subsidies by 70 percent at a time when federal government
deficits are projected for at least the next several years." It
is important that the members of the US House of Representatives and US Senate
hear from Grange members as soon as possible regarding the need to immediately
pass the Conference Committee report on the 2002 Farm Bill in order to counteract
the political influence of these special interest groups. As Spring planting season
progresses across the nation, hundreds of thousands of farmers and ranchers need
to make appropriate planting, production and marketing decisions based on the
provisions of the new Farm Bill. Further delay in final passage of this legislation
is not acceptable. Throughout the Farm Bill Conference Committee process, the
National Grange has actively notified both Members of Congress and its grassroots
membership regarding Grange supported provisions that should be part of the final
legislation. As such, the National Grange is making the final vote to support
passage of H.R. 2646, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 a Key
Vote that measures each individual Member of Congress' overall support for rural
America.
Action Plan---The 2002 House/Senate Farm Bill Conference Committee has
completed the final version of H.R. 2646, the Farm Security and Rural Investment
Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill). Now the final compromise version of the 2002 Farm
Bill must pass the US House and US Senate before the legislation can be sent to
President Bush for his signature to become law. Please contact your US Senators
and US Representatives immediately and ask them to vote in favor of the 2002 Farm
Bill Conference Report. The National Grange considers support for the 2002 Farm
Bill to be a Key Vote that measures each individual Member of Congress' overall
support for rural America.
Thank
you for your grassroots participation in the National Grange Legislative Program.
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